Philadelphia City Commissioners Explained

The Philadelphia City Commissioners are three officials responsible for administering voter registration and conducting elections for Philadelphia County.[1]

The office was created to replace the Philadelphia County Commissioners following the consolidation of the city and county in 1854. While subject to the Home Rule Charter, the commissioners are considered county officials and do not report to council or the mayor.

The board has three members, all popularly elected every four years by the voters of Philadelphia.[2] No political party can have more than two seats on the board. For the last half-century the guaranteed minority seat has gone to the Republican Party.

Current members

Name Year first elected Party
2019 Democratic[3]
Seth Bluestein 2022[4] Forward Republican[5]
Lisa M Deeley 2015 Democratic[6]
† Denotes chairperson of the board

Historical members

Commissioners elected under the 1873 Constitution
ElectionCommissioners
1875 John S. WetterDavid MartinThomas A. Fahy
1878William S. DouglassJohn C. McManemin
1881William LawsonCharles H. Krumbhaar
1884Charles H. Krumbhaar
1887William BartleyTheodore B. StulbJohn J.P. Sensenderfer
1890
1893Jacob WildemoreJoseph G. Richmond
1896Thomas J. Ryan
1899Hugh Black
1902Charles P. Donnelly
1905Howard A. ChaseRudolph BlankenburgEdward A. Anderson
1908Harry D. BeastonRobert J. MooreFrank J. Gorman
1911John D. PowersFrank J. Gorman
1915David S. ScottGeorge F. Holmes
1917Henry Kuenzel
1918James H. Gay
1919George F. HolmesEdgar W. Lank
1923John O'Donnell
1927
1931John F. DuganJames C. Clark
1935Mortin WitkinJohn J. Hennessey
1939Joseph E. Gold
1943David E. WatsonJohn J. Hennessey
1945Thomas P. McHenry
1947
1951Walter I. DavidsonMaurice S. Osser
1955
1959Louis Menna
1963
1967Raymond Chmielewski
May 1971Francis B. Patterson
1971Louis Menna
1973Eugene E.J. Maier
Feb 1975John F. Kane
1975Margaret Tartaglione
1979
1983Marian Tasco
1987Maurice Floyd
1991Alexander Z. Talmadge
1995Joseph J. Duda
1999
2003Edgar A. Howard
2007Anthony Clark
2011Al SchmidtStephanie Singer
2015Lisa M. Deeley
2019Omar Sabir
2022Seth Bluestein

References

  1. Web site: Mission Statement. Office of the Philadelphia Commissioners. The City of Philadelphia. February 5, 2012. dead. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20021010212206/http%3A//www.phillyelection.com/miseng.htm. October 10, 2002.
  2. Web site: About the Philadelphia City Commissioners . Philadelphiavotes.com . 2016-04-09.
  3. Web site: Biography of Commissioner Omar Sabir . Philadelphiavotes.com . 2019-11-05 . 2022-06-15.
  4. Bluestein was confirmed as a City Commissioner in February 2022 to fill the remainder of Al Schmidt's term, which concludes in January 2024.https://vote.phila.gov/news/2022/02/03/seth-bluestein-confirmed-as-city-commissioner/
  5. Web site: City Commissioner Seth Bluestein (R).
  6. Web site: Biography of Lisa M Deeley. 9 April 2016.

External links